French court spares Nicolas Sarkozy electronic ankle tag in campaign financing case

A French court has decided that former president Nicolas Sarkozy will not have to wear an electronic ankle tag as punishment in his illegal funding case linked to his 2012 re-election bid.

A source close to the case said his advanced age was a factor in the decision.

The ruling was made on Tuesday, according to a source with knowledge of the case.

Sarkozy, 71, was convicted over overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign with the PR firm Bygmalion and then attempting to cover it up.

The decision means he avoids another period under electronic monitoring, after previously serving a sentence with an ankle tag that was removed in May last year.

He had also exhausted his last legal recourse in the separate Bismuth case in 2024.

The latest ruling is significant because Sarkozy remains one of the most prominent figures in modern French politics and has faced several criminal cases since leaving office in 2012.

He has denied all allegations in all cases.

Last year, he became the first former French president to go to jail in modern France, serving 20 days in a case linked to alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 election campaign.

#NicolasSarkozy #Bygmalion #Frenchcourt #ankletag #campaignfinancing